Afghanistan & Iraq Analysis Archive
Mar 7, 2013
"Rather than prolonging the quagmire in Afghanistan, Obama should take this opportunity to finally to honor his commitment to bring our troops home," write John Isaacs and Usha Sahay in The Gilmer Mirror.
Jan 9, 2013
As debates about the U.S. use of drones abroad continue, Americans can now own their very own toy drones, complete with miniature hi-def camera and "black box."
Dec 20, 2012
68,000 U.S. troops remain in Afghanistan, and some have called for the majority of those troops to remain for another year or more. But with little indication that an extended presence will shift the fortune's of NATO's failed efforts in Afghanistan, there is no reason to "stay the course."
Mar 1, 2012
Before the U.S. invasion in 2003, warnings about an insurgency developing in Iraq after Saddam Hussein's regime fell were ignored by the Bush administration. Lacking training in counterinsurgency operations, U.S. armed forces initially used aggressive offensive tactics employing heavy firepower and ignored the two fundamental principles of counterinsurgency operations: create a secure environment for the civilian population and isolate the insurgents.
Mar 1, 2012
On September 15, the board of the Council for a Livable World and the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation endorsed the August 16th report from the Afghanistan Study Group. The report, entitled: A New Way Forward—Rethinking the U.S. Strategy in Afghanistan, argues that the current U.S. strategy in Afghanistan is not vitally essential to U.S. national security, ensnares U.S. forces in a civil war, has costs of over $100 billion a year to counter an al-Qaeda presence in Afghanistan of less than 100 members and is counter-productive to regional stability.
May 12, 2011
A summary of Iraq and Afghanistan war funding through Fiscal Year (FY) 2012.
May 12, 2011
The Afghan Study Group produced a report in April 2011, entitled “A New Way Forward: Rethinking U.S. Strategy in Afghanistan” that offers recommendations to the U.S. government and military and rationale for resolving the current civil war in Afghanistan by political means.
May 6, 2011
The “Afghanistan: Negotiating Peace” report, co-chaired by two internationally renowned diplomats, outlines a political solution for the war in Afghanistan because, they argue, there is no military solution. The foundation for their case is that there is a military stalemate, the Taliban cannot be effectively excluded, the majority of the Afghan and Western public are war-weary and it is a propitious time for negotiations.
Feb 16, 2011
This week marks the one-year anniversary of the US military offensive into Marjah in Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan. Operation Moshtarak, as it was called, was the largest military operation in Afghanistan since the removal of the Taliban regime in the fall of 2001. However, it served not just as a military operation, but also as a high profile public relations campaign and the "official" start of America's escalation of the Afghan War.*
Jan 5, 2011
Several media outlets, including the Guardian and McClatchy, reported this week that US Marines in one part of Sangin, one of the most violent districts in Helmand Province, have, through 25 days of negotiations, reached a deal with local Afghan leaders. It is, of course, too early to know whether this deal is even real and, if it is, whether it will last.
Sep 15, 2010
In July of 2009, the Boards of the CLW and the Center adopted a position on Afghanistan calling on the Administration to provide a clear statement of objectives for the war and metrics that would show whether those objectives were being met.
Jan 20, 2010
President Obama inherited three wars: Iraq, Afghanistan and the fight against al Qaeda. And despite all the promise of a fresh approach as he took office, and a steady stream of rhetoric since then about the need for adversaries around the world to find common ground, his administration has inherited the tendency of its predecessor to rely too heavily on military solutions to these conflicts.
Dec 17, 2009
The Conference agreement on the Fiscal Year 2010 Defense Appropriations bill was adopted by the full House on Wednesday, December 16, roughly 24 hours after it became available for public viewing. The Senate is expected to act on the legislation this week. The bill includes $497.7 billion for the Department of Defense’s annual “base” budget, excluding funding for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Dec 2, 2009
Adding 30,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan will cost $30 billion during Fiscal Year 2010. In this new fact sheet, Travis Sharp expresses this hefty sum in more accessible terms, including the cost per taxpayer, cost per minute, and opportunity cost.
Jul 28, 2009
On July 22, 2009, the House Appropriations Committee completed its markup of the fiscal year 2010 Defense Appropriations bill (HR 3326). The Committee bill provides $636.6 billion in total funding, $3.8 billion less than the President’s request. Of the total, $508.4 billion is for the Department of Defense “base” budget and $128.2 billion is for ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Jul 13, 2009
The Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) completed its markup of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 Defense Authorization bill (S. 1390) on June 25, 2009. The marked up bill recommends $679.8 billion in funding, $375 million less than requested by the administration.
Jun 25, 2009
President Obama decided not to release a new group of detainee abuse photographs because he believes they would inflame our enemies and threaten American troops. Indeed, the shocking photos from Abu Ghraib have served as a powerful recruiting tool for al-Qaeda and have sparked outrage across the world.
Jun 16, 2009
As part of their work on the second FY 2009 war supplemental, members of Congress provided nearly $7 billion in “add-ons” or funds not sought by the Pentagon. Much of this additional funding is being included as part of the supplemental because these programs are controversial and might not otherwise be funded through the normal budget process.
Jun 15, 2009
On June 11, House and Senate conferees approved a $105.9 billion emergency supplemental appropriations bill for the latter part of FY 2009. The bill includes $79.9 billion for the Department of Defense, primarily to fund military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, roughly $4.4 billion more than the amount sought by the administration.
May 8, 2009
On May 8, the Obama Administration released complete details of its Fiscal Year 2010 Pentagon Spending Request. The request included $533.8 billion for the Department of Defense and $130 billion to support "Overseas Contingency Operations" (military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan), included for the first time as part of the White House’s annual budget request, rather than through special supplemental appropriations bills.
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